The many complex functions of present-day consumer electronics often confuse the user to the point where the functions can't be understood and utilized by the user. "I Can't Work This Thing!", Business Week, Apr. 29, 1991, describes this consumer frustration and the resulting trend in product design to simplify the user interface.
In particular, remote controllers have proliferated and are often provided as standard accessories to many consumer electronics devices, such as TVs and VCRs. The typical consumer may have several remote controllers, each remote controller having an array of up to 50 buttons that make it difficult to perform the simplest functions such as lowering the volume when the phone rings. Forget about setting the clock!
A principle drawback is that the user must look at the remote controller in order to operate it, which is a distraction since the user is typically looking at the visual display. These remote controllers also require sufficient lighting in order to read the legends on the buttons, which often conflicts with the desire to watch television in a dimly lit room. As the number of buttons increases, simply finding the right button--and not making a mistake--is a chore.
Evans et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,200, describe a remote control transmitter that can "learn" the codes transmitted by other remote controllers, which addresses the problem of a user having to contend with too many controllers. However, this method increases the complexity of the device, exacerbating the problem of a confusing user interface.
Micic et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,721, describe a remote control system that uses a menu system within the television. However, this system uses key switches which are cumbersome to use when trying to change a continuous control, such as volume or channel selection. Schopers et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,557, describe a similar visual-feedback remote control system that can be used to control several devices from a single remote controller. However, this device also uses multiple key switches.
"A Way To Ease Remote Control Panic", Electronics, April 1989, describes a simple remote control system that addresses the problems of remote controller proliferation and user interface complexity. This pointing remote controller has an infrared transmitter and a single button, and the TV has a special receiver that detects the direction that the remote controller is pointing. The user simply points the remote controller to an area on the screen, and is able to perform menu selections and set continuous controls, such as volume, by changing direction and pressing the button. The need for many confusing buttons is eliminated, and the user's attention remains fixed to the visual display, rather than on the remote controller.
This device has a major advantage in that the data sent by the remote controller has no semantic value: a typical remote controller button must be labelled "CHANNEL UP", for example, and the TV must correctly interpret the code sent by the remote controller as a "CHANNEL UP" command. The pointing remote controller, on the other hand, does not require any change in the remote controller to perform many diverse functions on different devices. The semantic value of the user's commands are interpreted entirely within the receiving system based on the current display presented to the user, thereby standardizing the remote controller and increasing its flexibility.
The pointing remote controller has two significant faults, however. The receiving sensors and circuitry required in the TV or VCR are special, they are different than the hardware that is currently used, and more complex. This makes it difficult for a manufacturer to incorporate into a product line since it requires significant changes in the product design and is unfamiliar to the designers. Secondly, the user might not always be directly facing the video screen or in an upright position, such as lying down on a couch, in which case pointing the remote controller in the proper direction becomes a confusing and disorienting operation.